When Two Worlds Collide
by The StrayXIII
Summary: Five years after their beyblading stint Tyson and Kai find themselves catching up after a mishap gets Tyson kicked out of college. They help each other out of their tight spots but soon find themselves in a whirlwind of chaos involving another world.
1. Ghosts of a Dream

**Guess who? Yeah, that's right, I'm back. It's been a while and a break from fanfiction really got me going on that original series I was working on. But things happened in life and while I'm going through a block on that I decided to revisit one of my most recent Beyblade fics and decided to, yet again, rewrite them.**

**Except, this time, I have learned from my final year of high school and my writing became substantially better.**

**The regular disclaimer _would_ go here... but this entire chapter is completely original, the only shred of its origin lie in the character himself. All events, or should I say most, that are described in this are completely my own. The only exception is the single mention of a certain character. If you've tracked my history and know of the first story I've uploaded (rewrote, scrapped, rewrote, and then altogether dropped) you'd know who that one character is and who she belongs to.**

**Also, it's good to read these bold sections (before and after the chapter) as I make important notes in them. Sometimes these notes can answer questions you might pose in your review, or mind, if you decide not to click that button. Anyway, I hope you enjoy. This is more like a prologue, a simple introduction...**

**Of a world of my own imaginings...**

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Lights, cameras, people screaming out his name. At first it was out of adoration, but he didn't care for it. Yet deep down he knew that it made him feel good, it gave him a sense of purpose. For once he had a reason to keep going.

But then things started to change. It wasn't just him anymore, it was a team. He was in charge of an amateur buffoon that had a surprising talent for the game, an American with a way too chipper nature, and a non-human Chinese that placed more attention on his looks than the game. Yet he strove to persevere, no matter what it took.

It all began to change again, but this time for the worse. He didn't win, he didn't become number one. He had to admit, the buffoon was good—hell, even deserving. But why did it bother him so? Why was it that he had to keep on going? What was it that he wanted to prove?

His life began to plummet, he became obsessed. He knew then that he never wanted to admit it, but the facts were right there. His teammates, friends—they were concerned for him. But more and more he became obsessed, until he started seeking power.

He saw the events of his life, all leading to that moment—the very moment that changed his life. He wondered, did he deserve what he had now? He walked down the hall of memories, all the images swirling around him like a vortex—a tunnel of sorts. He looked around; they were all a mix of the good and the bad, the past and the present.

_Look at you now,_ said a cynical voice. A mirror appeared to one side and he saw himself. Black hair with red highlights, which was natural the last time he checked. Then again he'd been playing with hair dye for a while it was hard to keep track. The blue lock of hair was real... but wait, no it was a clip on extension. He lifted it up—yeah, he would have ditched it after ditching the blue dye for his bangs, but after the hair for his sideburns fell off in favour of his clan marking he used it to cover it up. His face was of an ovular shape, but with a defined chin. His nose was sharp and his eye colour was an unnatural amethyst. He blinked and they became a red, which satisfied him. The amethyst tied him to the demon blood stemming from his mother's side. But that didn't matter to him, not by a long shot. It was only his sister who really got anything out of that. He was different, and the red showed it. It was just the red either; it was the unique markings right on his cheek bones. It was these traits that told him now of who he was.

"Wha—?" he jumped in surprised. Before his eyes his reflection changed dramatically. His eyes were sunken in, his skin had a grey tinge to it. He had a suspicion which was confirmed the moment he pulled off his shirt. When he looked down he saw the well formed abdominal muscles and pecks from a good hard workout. Yet in the mirror he looked famished, tired, and completely unhealthy. It was hard to tell, but he was younger in the reflection too. This was him in the past, when he was absorbed by the world of perfection and power.

"What is this?" he said, his voice echoing throughout the now blank tunnel. The swirling images were gone. It was just him, him and the cynical voice.

It was actually his reflection.

_So popular, so loved, _his reflection said darkly. It stared at him with a loathsome glare, a malicious smile aching to curl into a laugh and mock him.

"What are you doing?" he asked. At the corner of his eye he saw a glow of light far down along the tunnel. It was the only source of light and he realized late that the tunnel went from blank to black. Without that light he wouldn't be able to see, and that scared him. He tried to walk towards the golden glow but his reflection grabbed his hand.

_You're not going anywhere, hero_, it said. He looked, horrified, at the cold ethereal hand clasped around his wrist.

"Let me go!" he begged.

_Are you running from your past again?_

"N-no! I'm trying to run _to_ it! You don't understand, that light will tell me who I am! It'll tell me everything I need to know!"

_No, it's an escape. _The reflection reached out with its other hand and traced out the markings on his face. _Such a feathery texture_, it said. _You were... so overjoyed when you found out. You were different, special. Not like the rest of them._

"I was happy to have found out who I really am," he said defiantly, trying to pull away at the discomfort.

_No, you were happy to have found an escape. Look over there,_ the reflection pointed to his left and there stood the ghostly image of his twin sister.

"Raine," he muttered. The ghost moved its mouth, calling out to him, smiling. Tears rolled down its face and it slowly faded away. And then, to his horror, his hand was stretched out and was grasping the handle of a knife. The ghost's hands were around his, the blade of the knife deep within its bosom. He looked into the face of the ghost, the face of his sister. He was shaking all over, tears flowing down his eyes.

_See that. You've been running away from that, even if she has forgiven you_, said his reflection. He quivered violently, finally mustering the strength to push away his sister's ghost and to pull himself free from his reflection's grasp. He ran toward the light, toward his shining grace.

_You're still running. Stop trying to forget your past! Stop trying to forget who you are!_

"No! That's not true!" he cried. He'd resolved all his issues throughout the years since he reformed. He wasn't that old reflection, that version of him was long dead. He looked into the light and saw a woman's smiling face beaming down on him. She reached out a hand, calling for him. He said something back to her, calling her. He saw two young boys at both her sides, grinning at him. Behind them all was a proud man who carried a radiant aura. He nearly reached the light, but then it dissolved. He cried in despair, he was so close. He almost remembered. But then a new light started to glow in front of him and it was the smile of a young woman with chocolate brown hair.

"Serenity..." he whispered.

_You'd hate it, wouldn't you?_ The voice called out to him. He gasped, unaware that it caught up to him. It was more of a shadow now with a cynical smile. The shadow stroked the projection of Serenity's face, and more of her body appeared, naked. Her pregnant body hovered before him, and his shadow reached out with its clawed hand towards his and Serenity's unborn child.

"No, stop..." he muttered. He was paralyzed, trapped. The shadow reached over him and was nearing the image of his beloved.

_You're going to mess up again, and you know it. _The shadowed hand tore at her and the image of Serenity screamed, her voiced mixed in with the cries of an anguished baby. He screamed and screamed, calling for the nightmare to stop. And then, amidst the horror, Serenity called out to him.

"Kousei," she said.

"Ah!"

It was dark in the room, but the light of the ever lively Shibuya's lights shone into the room. Realizing that it was merely a nightmare reflecting his fears, Kousei looked to his right to a concerned Serenity, her hand on her pregnant stomach.

"Are you okay?" she asked. She placed her head on his shoulder to try and calm him, her pregnancy limiting her movement. Kousei placed his hand on top of hers and took a deep breath. He felt like crying, but he didn't want to show weakness.

"Eight months," he said. "Pops said that Phoenixians are born after eight months."

"Yes, but I'm human," reminded Serenity. "It could be halfway through the ninth for all we know."

"Yeah, but I promise you that I'll be by your side every step of the way," said Kousei. He kissed her on the forehead and closed his eyes. Serenity laughed.

"That's going to be hard, don't you think?"

"Yeah," answered Kousei immediately, opening his eyes again. He was too scared to sleep. "And I'm sorry if I have to bail."

"Just promise me that you won't leave me to raise the kid by myself," said Serenity sternly. Kousei hugged her and kissed her vigorously.

"I love you, don't I?"

"I love you too..." They embraced and Kousei was able to calmly drift back to sleep.

Two worlds existing side by side, practically merging and only supported by a middle-world unseen to all. Coexisting, its inhabitants carry on with their lives as they see fit. One world is of modern reality, with the people only adjusting to the mythical factor that has surrounded their world for over fifty years. In the height of their newfound powers they embrace the existence of their other-world cousins, who are more gifted with the natural powers the two worlds granted. Together they lived in harmony; working together to live efficient lives in peace while respecting the space they need.

A certain group of individuals, after trials set by a horrific prophecy, work hard to maintain the balance returned to the universe. They have many set responsibilities, one such individual preparing to rule an entire four nations. Another readies herself in hunts for criminals in the event her abilities were needed in another world—whether or not it was against her will. And a hero who desperately tries to recall a lost past makes amends to his mistakes by channelling most of his wanted time and attention to a family he couldn't live in the world without.

With their friends they work to ensure the safety of their world and many others while trying to live their own lives as they see fit. Even with hardships haunting their pasts and awaiting in their future, they persevere through the odds to pave a way to a better world.

**~When Two Worlds Collide~**

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**It's a quicky, but it was attached to the first chapter, which already reached 9 pages. I also learned that unless you want to bore your readers keep the chapters as short as possible. When you know a chapter is good, fast-paced, filled with important and quirky dialogue, and a great hook for readers make it as long as you like. But usually, that only happens when you reach the ending. ;)**

**As I've stated earlier this whole chapter is a prologue of sorts, your basic introduction. It introduces my world and characters that play an essential role in the plot. Should have mentioned it earlier, but this fic can get pretty OC-centric because right now my mind sees that the conflict lies in Kousei.**


	2. Unexpected Changes

**The one thing I really find irksome about this site is that when you make uploads however you wrote the chapter on Word in whatever font doesn't get preserved. =_= A well.**

**Done this so soon only because it was attached to the prologue bit at first. But here**

**If you hadn't got it already, I tend to write in OOC for canon characters. Mainly Kai. Especially Kai. In fact, this fic wouldn't exist if I hadn't decided that at all...**

**Which makes me gasp at the fact that my greatest creations stemmed from that, and it would mean _he_ wouldn't exist at all either! Chills...**

**I do not own any of the Beyblade characters, world, setting, and whatever else came from there_._** **In the meantime, have any of you seen Beyblade: Metal Fusion? Pretty good, Nelvana's doing a better job of dubbing (although WHY change Ginga's name to Gingka still gets to me), and I'm amazed that they dubbed the original intro (albeit some changes to fit the intro themes for Western Animation for young kids) as opposed to replacing it like in the original series.**

**Still trying to figure out the time lapse here from the ending... but the year is 2010. If anything, to me the G-Revolution events ended in 2005, the year the series ended in Canada. So in a sense a good 5 years passed in-story as well.**

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**Chapter One**

Hiro stood before him, eyes narrow and lips pursed. Like a disobedient child Tyson sat kneeling in front of his older brother, staring at the ground.

"Takao, what do you have to say for yourself?" asked Hiro. Tyson gulped. He was in trouble if Hiro reverted to calling him by his Japanese name. Normally he'd show some lenience and called him 'Tyson' just like everybody else. He started wearing that name all because he liked the sound of it. But now, right now he was in trouble.

"What else, Big Bro? It's been _so long_ since I've spun one, I just _had_ to!" reasoned Tyson.

"But you _broke the windows to the Dean's car!_" countered Hiro sternly. "Not only was that childish and amateurish, but it was also irresponsible! You know better than that! You're a college first year! It's about time you started thinking like an adult!"

"Twenty is a young age, Hiro, it's an age on the fine line between being a teenager and an adult!" argued Tyson. He got up on his feet and stood his ground. He wasn't about to lose a fight—an _unfair_ fight to boot!

"Don't you think you're overreacting?" questioned Tyson.

"I don't think you see how severe this is. That school only let you in because you got a scholarship based on athletic recognition, thanks to a referral from your high school. But it's easy to get that revoked, Tyson!" Hiro gripped the bridge of his nose as he squeezed his eyes shut.

"Wait, what do you mean?" asked Tyson.

"You've been kicked out," said Hiro, finally, after a moment of silence.

"W-what?" Tyson felt the world closing in on him. He didn't mean for things to get this bad! He promised Hiro and Grandpa that he would be able to adjust, to finally end the Beyblading dream and join the life of normality, just like the rest of society. It was time that somebody else became Champion, and Hiro had to admit it would be years before someone could even beat Tyson.

He remembered that day, when the fall term for his second year of school began. It was a long talk, but finally Tyson saw the light. If he waited until Kai took the Championship throne it would be a repeat cycle, with Tyson ready for a rematch. His friends agreed, even Kai. It was time they all moved on.

"I'm sorry, Hiro," said Tyson. Hiro held his shoulders gently and sighed.

"It's okay Tyson, but this has really put you back a bit. It was a really good college," said Hiro.

"And with my grades it'll be a while... not to mention the money."

Hiro put on a smile and shook Tyson encouragingly, "Don't worry," he said. "We'll think of something." Tyson smiled apologetically.

It had been a long five years since he last took up a Bey and let it rip in the stadium. The same went for the others too. Ray went back to China and took up cooking school to join his uncle in the culinary ranks. Max's first year of college involved an internship at his mother's research center. Daichi, in a stroke of luck, ended up enrolling in school and was living under Hilary's care. So far the boy had kept up good grades and eventually went to a good high school. Kenny ended up at Tokyo University with top grades and Hilary decided to pursue a career in voice acting. Kai decided to travel the world, to get some off time from all of them most likely, but he was gearing up to inherit his grandfather's company.

The college Tyson was attending was good enough for him. He hadn't figured out what to do with his life yet, but he figured he would take his time. He was more fixated on helping his grandfather and Hiro take care of the house. Lately Gramps had been getting ill, and income was low. Gramps hadn't taught anyone at the dojo for years and all of their money came from the boys' father. Lately an excavation required more money than the intended budget. As such, Hiro had to balance coaching at the BBA and helping out at home while their grandfather recovered.

Tyson didn't know what he could tell Hilary or Kenny. He was afraid of their disappointment. He was even more afraid of facing the other former bladders, foreseeing their disappointment and pity. And the one guy he seeks the respect of the most was Kai, and if the serious soon-to-be business tycoon heard that his old-time rival was already at rock-bottom... Tyson shuddered at the words Kai would say.

Sulking in his room while Hiro drove Gramps to his bi-weekly check-up, he mulled over the details and his next available options. He could always try a community college, and start looking for a job. That was a start. That way he wouldn't be a dead weight around the house. A thought occurred to him that maybe he could ask Hiro if he could help coach young kids learn how to Beyblade, but then the thought of hearing the young children look up to him with big smiles disheartened him. He didn't feel like being a big disappointment and a bad influence. He imagined those young kids using him as an excuse, telling their parents that Tyson got by without finishing school when it was the exact opposite. That made him realize something even worse: he wasn't teaching these kids out of the goodness of his heart, he was doing it to survive and support for his family. He felt disgusted, that even though helping his family was a good thing, the fact that he would quickly cast aside the spirit of Beyblading for money shook his core. He didn't want that, it wasn't the kind of life he wanted to lead.

On top of his work desk his cell phone beeped for his attention. Tyson knew all too well the sound of an alert when he received a new message. Moving from his bed of woes he decided to investigate the new message. Flipping open his phone Kenny's image appeared before disappearing in favour of his message:

_Tomorrow's the big day! Hope you all remembered that we're having our big G-Revolution reunion tomorrow! It's at my family's cafe and for the whole day it's all booked just for us! We'll have a lot of fun things to talk about, like how it's all going and stuff. It'd be great!_

_I can't wait to see you guys again!_

_- Kenny_

Tyson's world began to spin in rapid chaos. The reunion! He completely forgot about it! Oh _why_ didn't Tyson for his birthday as the date—that way he would have still been in school and would have _nothing_ to be worried about. But now—oh man, he didn't even want to think about it.

But he had to think about it; otherwise he would look pathetic before any of them. What should he say? Grin and bear it and tell the truth? Or maybe he could fib a little, tell them that his studies are going fine but nothing eventful happened. It was Tyson; he knew they would all just assume that he was as restless as always and that he'd rather do something than just sit and study.

But that's the problem: he _was_ Tyson and he _knew_ they would expect something as huge as smashing up the Dean's car with a Bey. Obviously, they would be joking about it, but the slightest inch towards the truth and Tyson knew he would crack under the pressure. Again he thought of Kai and his oncoming criticism, or lack-of-thereof, which made it even worse. For sure the guy would be sharp enough to know he was hiding something. In a sense, Kai always seemed to know.

The next day Tyson rejected Hilary's company to go to Kenny's house, not wanting her to get suspicious. Next to Kai, she was another person Tyson didn't truly want to face with the truth. He disregarded it before but remembered fully well just how pushy Hilary could be. She was a classic Tsundere—type A! She totally want to make sure Tyson was doing okay, just like always, but then she would be a completely unstoppably, nagging force as soon as she found out _how_ Tyson lost his scholarship. The moment she realized Tyson was hiding something, she fish it out, and otherwise she'd pull on the waterworks. He didn't want to be alone with her when it came to that. He'd be front page news concerning a homicide—a bloody puddle on the sidewalk, his remains scattered and miniscule.

"Hiro, Gramps, I'm off to go to the reunion party!" Tyson called as he ran down the hallway to get his shoes on. He wore a simple grey turtle and a denim vest and the hat Hiro gave him. It was getting old and worn and he had to admit he needed a new one. But it was a memento of his childhood with Hiro. It was something that couldn't be replaced.

"Ha-have a good time, Tyson!" gasped Gramps after a series of coughs. Hiro stood by the dojo, sweeping the entrance as he watched his little brother leave. He smiled, happy that Tyson was still able to put aside his worries for the sake of his friends. Unbeknownst to him Tyson was actually in a mode of panic as his mind raced to find out what exactly he was going to say to his friends. He still couldn't decide, lie and wait a while, tell the truth stay up, or... what?

"Whoa—Tyson, watch it!"

So entranced by his thoughts, Tyson didn't even hear the warning let alone see who or what was in front of him. He crashed headlong into someone in a black overcoat and red scarf. Dazed, Tyson got up and looked at who it was he just body slammed into.

"Kai?"

"H-hey, Tyson," mumbled Kai. "Could you get off of me?" He asked politely and in a small voice, pardoning the error on Tyson's behalf.

"Sorry, Kai," he helped him up and both brushed off the street dirt that clasped onto their clothing

"Where were you off to?" asked Kai.

"The reunion party," said Tyson. "Didn't you get the message? It's at Kenny's family's cafe." Kai looked at his phone, which Tyson recognized as a Smartphone from overseas. He wondered just how much Kai got now that he was in control of the family company.

"Oh," said Kai in a highly uncharacteristic tone. He sounded bewildered, as though a small child that realized an error without recognizing the serious consequences.

Kai looked up from his phone at stared at Tyson. He gave a sheepish smile, as though embarrassed.

"Well, that's kind of pathetic," he said, rubbing the back of his head.

A bunch of incomprehensible words and sounds came out of Tyson's mouth, along with frothing and a momentary loss of sight. Tyson got a hold of himself, and then—

"WHO THE HELL ARE YOU AND WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO KAI?" he shrieked. Kai only raised his shoulders to his ears and stared, wide-eyed, with a bemused smile. He blinked a bit and wiped some of the spit that landed on his face, relaxing his shoulders afterwards.

"I'm still me Tyson," he said, as though expecting the outburst.

"What happened to you...? Whoa, you really look different!" Tyson finally took his time to observe Kai and how he'd changed. Travel really does change a person, like those a-photo-a-day slideshows that feature the difference of a person from the beginning of the year to the end.

Kai's hair was longer, but he let the back grow out and his bangs fall over his face. It no longer stuck up, much like he'd always styled it, save for the few clumps of cowlicks that refused to submit to gravity. Kai's face had grown more mature, less stern, and his eyes carried a sort of distant serenity in them. Compared to his old self, he was all together kinder and unlikely to bite your head off because of a stupid comment.

"I guess a couple years of travelling on a whim really does change a guy," said Kai, shrugging.

"On a whim? So you just go wherever you feel like?"

"More or less. My supervisors—those intent on me running the business proper, I mean—dogs at my heels, telling me to go here and there. I listen to them, because I don't want to go bankrupt and lose a lot of workers because I was ill-tempered and uninterested. But when push came to shove I snuck out and explored whatever city I was in. I ran into your dad too."

"You did?"

"I heard about Gramps and wanted to pay a visit," explained Kai, which would explain why he was back in Japan if not for the reunion party. "Honestly I forgot about the party. I'm actual only able to get here because of a business deal." They stood there a good minute before Tyson decided to walk back to his house, Kai at his side. Kai talked excitedly about all the things he'd seen, the relics, the museums, the historical sites, and the tourist spots.

"I think I've been around the whole world," said Kai, sounding explicitly glad to be able to talk to someone close to his age and so freely. "It's amazing, the things you see out there. It's also a bit harsh too."

"It is?"

"Some countries still have a harsh caste system, with the rich at the top, and the poor left to suffer at the bottom. There's genocide and racism still going around, and the poverty that plagues a whole country," Kai sighed. "But you know the one thing that really surprised me?"

"What?" Tyson asked eagerly.

"The fact that I realized that I was a jerk," said Kai. Tyson jumped, not expecting their conversation to come to this.

"You weren't a jerk."

"Tyson."

"Okay, so you were. But you weren't, well, _ruthless_..."

"Huh, have you _talked_ to Tala at all after we dropped Beyblading?"

"Okay, if you're talking about that second Championship, you weren't _that_ bad! Sure you wanted to win no matter what and sure you ended up joining the side of the enemy..." Tyson looked at Kai, his stare deadpanned and serious. It surprised Kai, making him visibly jump. "Yeah, you _were_ a jerk."

"I'm sorry," Kai said almost immediately after.

"Hey, it's nothing to apologize for!"

"Don't say that, it is," said Kai. "I was horrible to you guys. I only thought of myself." He wasn't pleading or whining, just outright stating what he thought he did wrong. Tyson saw that he seemed like a child fearful of his punishment after doing something wrong. "I don't deserve to even go to that reunion party with you guys... I don't belong." Tyson slapped him hard on the back, forcing him to cough.

"You're going to that party."

"I told you, I have a meeting to get to."

"Oh _no_, you're not snubbing us—your _friends_! You're snubbing those business stiffs! After all, what's the point of being a rich old man when you don't have friends to hang around with when things get boring?"

"Well..." Kai said hesitantly. He looked at his Smartphone again and sighed. "Alright," he said, pocketing it away. "Screw the meeting. I got friends to catch up with." Tyson shouted out in delight.

"Awesome! Let's go!"

Arriving at the entrance to Kenny's family cafe, Tyson fiddled with his thumbs, unsure if he even wanted to go in now. He felt bad, he even convinced Kai to ditch an important meeting, and yet there he stood, scared.

"Nervous?" Kai asked. Tyson called it, Kai had sharp senses.

"A bit..." He looked at Kai and smiled weakly. "I haven't exactly had a great start."

"Haven't you got a scholarship to some prestigious college known for their athletic department or something?" asked Kai. Tyson sighed. He might as well get it over with.

"Had..." he mumbled, fiddling with his thumbs even more.

"_Had_? You got it _revoked?_" Kai stared at him for what seemed like an eternity. And then...

Tyson stared dumbstruck as the slow chuckle became hysterical laughter. Kai Hiwatari was shaking from uncontrollable laughter, his mouth spread wide in a smile, tears coming from his eyes. He clutched his stomach and tried to stifle his laughter, hoping not to offend Tyson. He stared up after finally calming himself down to just fits of giggles.

"Are you done?" asked Tyson, mildly annoyed.

"J-just about," gasped Kai, wiping the tears away.

"Was that even necessary?"

"I'm sorry, it was just, you know, _funny_!"

"I don't find it funny!" Tyson scowled at Kai, not appreciating his line-of-sight. Did Kai not realize how deep underwater his whole family was now because Tyson screwed up.

"Well, I'm glad," said Kai. "I thought you'd become somebody different. I like you better as your usual self—never tied down and always aching for a challenge."

"Well, thanks," muttered Tyson, blushing from embarrassment. He wasn't used to praises from Kai.

"I never really picture you the bookish type, anyway. And a jock? Ha! You're better off swinging around a katana."

"You think so?" Tyson just thought of an idea. What if he opened the dojo again and taught the kids himself. He hastily shared this idea with Kai, who listened carefully to every detail.

"That's not so bad. I'll even help, organize the payments and everything. That way you can work to support your family and eventually go back to school. My supervisors _have_ been saying I needed to pay more attention to the business world. This should be a good start." Tyson silently celebrated by pumping his fists and grinning like a madman. Kai just smiled and stared back at the entrance to Kenny's cafe.

"We should probably go in," said Tyson, feeling much better.

"Yeah, we should," laughed Kai. "They're probably wondering what we're doing out here."

"You think they heard you laughing?" Tyson snickered. He was sure they would all be as shocked as he was.

"I'm pretty sure," said Kai. Suddenly his eyes became wide a smirk snuck onto his lips. "Say, Tyson... I got an idea." Tyson liked the sound of his voice. They were about to have some fun! His mind swirled with the ideas that Kai could be thinking of, but one such idea came out the most prominent.

"I'm listening..." he said. They both knew where this was going. And it was going to be sweet.

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**I enjoyed this chapter, and it's pacing is really good. I hope there wasn't too much of the dialog. Hope to start up chapter 2 and put it up ASAP.**


	3. Runaway Kai!

**Disclaimer: I don't own Beyblade.**

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**Chapter Two**

The plan was simple: they were to go back to the good ol' days with Kai as the leading jerk and Tyson as his usual, goofy, self—minus the guilt over losing his scholarship and unintentionally screwing over his family. They were going to see how long they could fool the others into thinking that nothing had changed. At the same time they were going to throw curveballs at them, confusing them with something like a sensible comment from Tyson that he would never have been able to pull off in the past, or Kai being sympathetic over something trivial—a matter that he wouldn't waste a second grunt over. It was the _perfect_ plan, if _only_ two people hadn't come and ruined it the instant they opened the door to the café.

Tyson noticed his trouble first. It was Chika Minamimoto of the college's journalism club. She was the lead scoop on everything related to on-campus events and word would have spread fast over the course of one day about Tyson getting kicked out. She wanted to get the scoop, the hottest and most controversial one she could find. And Tyson would give her that.

"Oh _crap_!" he yelled, throwing Kai off guard. Immediately Kai sensed that something was wrong when he heard Chika yelling, calling for Tyson to wait up, practically begging for an interview. He was about to ask what was wrong when he noticed _his_ problem. Tyson didn't even see who it was that was targeting Kai but the immediate response was Kai shoving him into the café, grabbing the door and slamming it shut. He picked up a chair and wedged it under the knob, in addition to locking the door and pulling the window curtain down.

"We're closed for a private event—_go away!_" he shouted in his stern and stoic voice. It made no difference to the former members of the G-Revolution team, but since Tyson had witnessed Kai's transformation it was hard to swallow. It seems that expression of old habits dying hard was true. Kai still had it in him to be cruel and evasive.

"But I need to talk to Tyson!" cried Chika, which forced Tyson to start singing 'la la' at the top of his lungs, covering his ears as though to block out the sound of her voice. Kai noticed the red zone they just entered, but was frightened—yes, _frightened_—at the sound of an older woman's voice eclipsing both Chika's and Tyson's voices.

"_Kai Suzumu Hiwatari!_" she hissed. Kai winced.

"I hate it when she does that," he whimpered.

"Your meeting started a good ten minutes ago! What are you _doing_ here? Taking a detour?" Her voice was stern and sounded like how most mothers sounded to Tyson. She reminded him of Hilary too, who was in the room with the others watching in shock and awe. Her open mouth made Tyson realize that this woman was _way _worse than Hilary was in her nagging-days, and true to fashion she hadn't fallen out of that habit either, according to hers and Kenny's scarce emails and text messages.

"Yes taking a detour—a _long_ detour!" yelled Kai back. "Now go away! And take that annoying girl with you!" He was backing away from the door now, eyes darting frantically around the room.

"Kai, who is she?" asked Tyson. He didn't know why he was whispering, but the worry was prominent

"Etsuyo," he mumbled. There was actual _fear_ in his voice and eyes now. Tyson was beyond awe. This… this was _radical_!

"Who is she?" asked Hilary, the first to speak up after their dynamic entry.

"One of your supervisors?" asked Tyson.

"Er, in a sense," started Kai.

"What do you mean?" pressed a now deep-voiced Kenny. It wasn't enough to throw off either Tyson or Kai, but Kai's comment did the trick.

"Voltaire foresaw my rather late departure from Beyblading, so he had Etsuyo prepped to be my very attentive and personal supervisor dating back all the way to my turning one-years-old."

In other words, she was his old nanny.

The others laughed while Tyson didn't. He would have laughed if the circumstances were different, but he saw that he needed Kai's help if they were both to get over their troubles.

However, they didn't get the chance. Etsuyo was _strong_ and now Tyson could see why Kai was scared of her. She kicked down the door, breaking the locks and the chair holding it in place. Kai made to run and dive behind the counter but she grabbed him by the scruff of his collar and proceeded to haul him out, _single-handedly_, and drag him back to his meeting. Even with his frantic kicking in trying to pull free. The feat managed to silence even Chika, who may have decided to make her front-page cover story on Kai's embarrassing 'pick up'.

"How very disappointing!" Etsuyo began to lecture. A black car drove up to the curb, the door opening on its own. "You are a disgrace to the Hiwatari name! I doubt there's a being in the entire universe that would be as slack and irresponsible as _you_!"

Tyson could only stare onwards, helpless. Kai was struggling against the unbelievable strength of a middle-aged woman… until he tore open the front of his coat.

Kai slipped out and back-kicked Etsuyo, a grimace flashing across his face. Tyson had the feeling that Kai didn't want to hurt her, but had no choice. The kick sent Etsuyo into the car, and with a definitive slam of the door, Kai looked to Tyson and the others and saluted them. Tyson could see a faint grin on Kai's face. Was he enjoying this as much as he hated it? Before he could register anything else, Kai ran off, Etsuyo's voice ringing through the car, telling the driver to turn around and follow after Kai. The runaway company heir had chosen the opposite direction the car was facing, forcing the driver to move in the opposite direction to find a suitable area to make a u-turn. It soon donned on Tyson. Kai's done this before. This wasn't the first time Kai's evasive behaviour produced a wacky hi-jink involving chases and escape. It took Tyson several seconds afterwards to realise that he'd received a text message during the chaos.

_Hey, remember that time I kidnapped Kenny to lure you out? Meet me at the same place in ten minutes._

_Kai_

For the first time since he got to Kenny's café Tyson got a good look at who was there, staring in fixated shock at what just happened. The door was on the floor, the hinges shattered and the chair had gone careening to the back of the room, the legs having broken off upon impact with the wall. There was a dent on one of the cupboards from where the chair hit. Tyson hoped the collateral damage wasn't too much. His eyes swept to the bewildered faces in the room. It was Hilary, Kenny, and a much taller and broader built Max. Ray and Daichi weren't even there yet.

"_What just happened_?" gasped Kenny, looking from the broken door to the back of the room, and out the front door. Tyson had noticed that Chika had taken her leave. She must be _really_ intent in covering the flight of the company heir to have vanished as quickly as she appeared.

"Tyson, please! Start explaining now!" demanded Hilary. Her voice was much more clear-cut and precise in volume, probably from the vocal training she endured for her job.

"Yeah, can we do that on the way to meeting Kai?" suggested Tyson, ready to head out of the door.

"Meet him where exactly?" asked Max. Tyson couldn't hold back his surprise at Max's deep voice. Still he smiled and looked at Kenny.

"Remember the 'quality time' you got to spend with Kai the first time we met him?" reminded Tyson. Kenny frowned, the memory of his kidnapping distasteful, regardless of the good things it brought afterward.

"Well, we better be careful. Some new generation of Blade Sharks are hanging around that old warehouse," he said seriously with a nudge of his glasses. Kenny quickly wrote up a note and the boys propped the door up to its standing position, even with the broken hinges. Kenny left the note on the other side for his parents to read. Before they left he locked the cashier, but not before transferring any cash left inside into a hiding place somewhere in his room. Afterwards they were set.

Running through town many fingers were pointed at them. It was Tyson running alongside Kenny and Max—it would be an interesting sight to see part of the team assembled again.

"This feels like the good old days," said Max. "Except my belt feels light without Draciel and the rest of my gear strapped down to it."

"Yeah, it does," said Tyson. He long dropped the habit of hauling Dragoon everywhere he went, and quite justifiably at one point a student at the college tried to follow Tyson home and was quickly caught trying to find a way to steal Dragoon without Tyson's knowledge. Unfortunately for the student, Hiro was home taking care of Gramps. And he wasn't happy.

"Daichi keeps his in a small vault in his room," said Hilary. "My mom says that he always checks the vault before he leaves for school and when he comes back home. If he were late he'd have my mom check for him, just in case." She was laughing a bit, finding the obsessive protection over Strata Dragoon a bit extreme.

"I've checked the internet. You have _no_ idea how much your beyblades would cost if you decided to sell it!" noted Kenny. A knot settled itself in Tyson's throat. Just how _much _money was Kenny talking here? He blinked hard—that was stupid! The last thing he would do was part from Dragoon! That was insane! An idea so insane he nearly missed a turn that brought them into an alleyway leading to the back entrance of the Blade Sharks headquarters.

"Uh oh," mumbled Max. The sounds of feet firmly planting themselves onto metal and concrete bounced along the walls and ground. They've been surrounded.

"Too bad you guys don't have them this time around!" whispered Hilary. She fell in, standing behind Tyson, and grabbed onto his arms. A chill went up every nerve Hilary came into contact with; Tyson felt his heart beat racing from her mere touch.

"_Well_, look at _this,_ guys! Wouldn't the boss find it interesting to see that the old veterans have come to pay him a visit?" called one of the Blade Sharks. There were snickers and a cold sweat trickled down Tyson's temple. He heard ripcords being wound into the launchers, the beyblades being loaded. He never noticed the damage a beyblade could make if it spun at a human body before. Perhaps it was because of this instance of being unarmed that really got Tyson's senses wound up.

"Why don't we _welcome_ them, Nagi?" asked one of his fellow Sharks. _Oh no…_

They didn't even count it, but then again this wasn't a battle. This was playing dirty, using beyblades to directly harm people! Hilary screamed and Tyson felt his body instinctively pull her into a protective embrace. Being the two largest he and Max were intent in keeping Kenny and Hilary unharmed. They're efforts, however, would go up in vain—a beyblade swept in, taking down each assaulting bey in one fell swoop. The Sharks, save Nagi—who clearly outranked the lot—couldn't stand a chance against the spinning purple frenzy. _Purple_…

"Daichi!" yelled both Tyson and Hilary in recognition. Daichi dove in, much like he made his grand entrance the first time Tyson met him, but under the silent cover of stealth. And before Tyson stood no short, hyperactive monkey-boy: before him stood an equally tall teenager with the shoulders held with a sense responsibility and determination. A finger swept up and pointed accusingly at Nagi.

"You don't know who you're _dealin_' with here, chump," said Daichi darkly. A deep voice—Tyson expected as much. It was rough and scratchy and had the makings of a classic delinquent's vocals.

"What the—Oh _shit!_" cursed Nagi. The Shark ran towards whatever entrance he used to get the higher ground before Daichi could send Strata Dragoon at him. Tyson pumped his fists in victory, whooping. He and Max pounded Daichi's shoulders while Kenny applauded and Hilary showered him with kisses on his cheeks.

"Hey, cut that out, Sis!" said Daichi, waving her away. "So you guys going to explain to me what the heck is going on? I thought this was a 'stay clear away from' zone!"

"It was, until Kai needed a place to hide from his company hounds," cheeked Tyson. His remarked reminded the others of why they were even there in the first place. They found the entrance that Tyson had used the last time he had been there and, despite the shouts of displeasure of the residing Sharks, the group ran in.

"Nagi, you were supposed to keep intruders _out_!" yelled a female's voice. She sounded a slight bit younger than Daichi and as soon as Tyson saw her he pegged her as a third year middle schooler. Yet with the tattoos, the rough clothes, and the pierced eyebrows and multi-studded ears she looked like the most frightening thin-framed middle school girl in the whole world. Her hair was the radical shade of stark pink with streaks of black around a shaved down portion along the back of her head. Nagi looked similar to her, but was of a thick build and of cleaner clothing choices. In fact, for a fourteen-year-old, the girl was very revealing… and she was sitting _down_. Tyson didn't know what to make of that.

"I'm sorry, Nami, but that guy from Koma High showed up! And if you look closely you'll see that it's them—the vets!"

Before Nami could make heads or tails of the situation there was a loud thud from the ceiling. A door leading to the escape ladder to the roof opened and down fell Kai, who grasped at the ladder and beams as he swung his way down with an echoing _thud_ on the concrete floor of the warehouse. The whole area was silenced in the wake of his presence. His footfalls bounced off against the wall as he strode over to a metal container and kicked it. The lid flipped open and from it he pulled out a shirt and a coat similar to the one Tyson saw him wear earlier. After dressing himself he pulled out a scarf made of a shorter length than the trademark scarf the world saw him wear. This scarf was more fitting for the December weather, which was logical. However, Tyson's logic hit a wall when he realized that for a good ten minutes or more Kai was running around town with only a wrapping of bandages covering his lower abdomen.

"You!" yelled Nami. She pulled out her beyblade-loaded launcher and pointed it at Kai. He just smiled at her and walked by without a worry.

"Sorry about that," said Kai to Tyson and the others. His eyes widened at Max and Daichi. "Well, I feel short."

"Max is the tallest and Daichi's only as tall as me! You're not that short," retorted Tyson.

"Yes, but last time I checked Daichi was only four-feet tall. Has it really been five years?" Kai paused and he grimaced. "Now I feel _old_." Tyson had to think about it before answering, but there was no helping that fact.

"You _are_ the oldest," he pointed out. "Can't help you out there, buddy."

"_Hold_ up!" called Daichi, arms raised in defiance. "When have _you two_ been so 'buddy-buddy' with each other?" Tyson and Kai looked at each other, both unsure how to answer it.

"About an hour ago," they both said in unison. They shared a glance and laughed. That was unnatural yet amusing.

"_Hey!_" cried Nami. She stormed up to them, teeth gritted and her footsteps loud and heavy. "This is Blade Sharks territory! You guys have no authorization to be here!"

"Yes, but if I hadn't paid your brother for that one time to get these clothes," he pulled on the collar of his jacket, "you wouldn't have known of the secret entrance into the warehouse, therefore not knowing how to strategize a seize to claim the gang as your own." Kai was polite and calm the whole time he spoke, whereas Tyson and the others at least expected one critical remark from him, especially to a person like Nami.

"Oh shut up! Whatever it is you guys are doing here, I suggest you get it over with and leave _very_ soon! The hero of Koma here wouldn't be able to save you all from _us_." She was right. There were at least fifty members that Tyson could see with plenty more hiding in the shadows and waiting outside to jump them if they stepped out of line. Looking back on Kai's days as the leaders of the Blade Sharks, _his_ gang looked like a school club compared to Nami's. Sure Kai had ordered the capture of Kenny and had him bound and placed at a dangerous height until Tyson beat Kai, but the fact that Nami so willingly allowed her crew to launch beyblades _at people_ without a second thought was frightening in comparison.

"I promise, once the situation has died down we'll be on our way and out of your hair," said Kai calmly, arms up in surrender. Nami spat at the floor by his feet before walking away. From her 'throne' she watched them, and it seemed the Sharks surrounding them doubled in the time it took her to stride over to her throne.

"So you're Koma High's hero?" asked Tyson, intrigued. Daichi was blushing but Hilary was ready to spill everything about it.

"Daichi's the most popular guy in his whole school! He's a hero to them!" said Hilary.

"Hey, all I did was stand up to these jerks surrounding us and that's that," mumbled Daichi, embarrassed. "It's not _my_ fault that those idiots decided to worship me for one act of valour."

"To be honest, Dai, I've had my fair share with these guys and they've got a frightening reputation, even in my absence," said Kai.

"Which says something, 'cuz Kai founded the gang," added Kenny. Kai looked at him, Kenny grinning sheepishly.

"I won't bite," said Kai. Max laughed.

"I'm more curious about _you,_ Kai! You've changed! For one thing you've been a lot more talkative than usual!" he chirped, clasping Kai's shoulders.

"Yeah, you didn't even grunt your 'hello' like you always do! In fact you _apologized _for something without a moment's hesitation!" mewed Hilary.

"Well for one thing you guy's are handling this _a lot_ better than Tyson did—he freaked _out_," mused Kai. Tyson was not entirely pleased, but he laughed with them anyway.

"Ooh, we should go soon! Ray won't know where we are!" exclaimed Hilary.

"He does, don't worry," said Kai. "Bumped into him while I was AWOL. Told him to wait at the park at our usual spot."

"The park?" stammered Kenny, confused. "Wouldn't Etsuyo know to look for you there?"

"I feigned surrender and crashed their car," said Kai. "Obviously not enough to kill myself, but I stole the key." He pulled out the car key from his pants pocket, drawing gasps of amazement from the others.

"Wow, _how_ many times have you done this?" asked Tyson, knowing more than the others on the matter. It seems Kai understated what he meant by 'getting away' from his duties with the company.

"I dunno," shrugged Kai. "Lost count after Berlin about half a year into my travels." Tyson did a double take—Kai toured _China_ first! If he lost count by the time he got to Berlin after six months who knows how much times Kai made a getaway from the business life in China, of all places. With so many places to go, not to mention the historical significance of many locations, Kai would have had a field day there.

"You're beginning to scare me, dude," mumbled Tyson. The comment made Kai laugh and, _finally_, Tyson thought, the others responded accordingly.

"_Huh_?" stammered Hilary, her jaw dropping and eyes bulging.

"When do _you_ laugh?" asked Daichi critically.

"Are you sure this is Kai, Tyson?" nudged Max. He pointed out Kai's longer hair and bemused expression, but it didn't deny the truth before them.

"It's like you're a _completely_ different person!" sputtered Kenny, giving Kai a closer look. Kai backed away without moving his feet from their spot, but he smiled and chuckled instead of glaring and growling.

"Let's head to the park," said Kai. "And I suggest we take the bus." He nodded to Nami who just grumbled 'get the fuck out' and pointing her hand at the front exit. Kai shrugged and led the others to the bright outdoors.

When they arrived at the park Ray sat nearby the old beystadium they battled at. He looked slightly irritated at the last minute change of location, but was pleased that his long wait was finally over at the sight of them. Upon learning of Kai's completely new self he was at a loss for words, the shock broken when Hilary asked about Mariah.

As Tyson observed them as he joined in on the conversations they had no problem accepting Kai's new behaviour. At times Kai would hesitate when he spoke, unable to find the right words. Tyson wondered if it was because he wasn't used to talking so much or if Kai was actually pondering on being honest or a bit wary. It became more obvious when he would do so whenever someone asked a 'yes or no' question.

When the sun began to creep closely to the horizon they all made their way back to Kenny's café. His parents didn't seem to happy about the door, but after Kai offered to pay for all damages they were all smiles and even cooked a delicious meal for all of them. At the end of the day they all said their good byes and it was just Tyson and Kai again, walking back to the dojo.

"So you'll be staying for the night?" asked Tyson.

"Can I impose a bit longer than that?" Kai smiled with his eyebrows raised. The intonation of his voice was hesitant and polite.

"I thought you were only here for a day?"

"Actually we're here for as long as this business deal takes," explained Kai. "Since I flaked on the first meeting it'll be back and forwards until my team gets a good deal and I give my say so. In the meantime I got a text from Etsuyo. She's banned me from my old house because I refused to cooperate today. Which means, I don't have any place to stay."

"I'm okay with you staying for as long as you like," said Tyson. "Though I'd figure you'd have enough money to get yourself a room at a hotel."

"True, except Etsuyo guards my bank account like a hawk. I get an allowance when we travel since they can't have the only company heir going missing and starving to death. The money I get from that goes into a new account that I made, and it's for paying off my own personal hires."

"You _hire_ people outside of your company? To do what exactly?"

"See this coat and shirt?" asked Kai, holding up his coat's collar. "I paid off Nagi to put it in that bin. If I wanted to I'll call on him again. I only pay when I need a specific task done, but most of that has been done overseas."

"You've been up to a _lot_ of funky business since you've been gone," noted Tyson, impressed. "I take it your supervisors don' t know?"

"Not a single bit." Kai smiled. Tyson could see a glint of mischief in it.

"Then I hope you enjoy your stay at the Kinomiya household! I have to warn you, during the night Gramps gets into a really bad fit of coughs. I hope you don't mind being startled awake."

"I've slept through worse… if I could call that time 'sleeping'."

Tyson wanted to ask what he meant, but he felt that there was a time and place for storytelling with Kai. He felt that this was going to be an interesting change in his life and he wondered just how soon Kai would help reopen the dojo. Tyson had to admit that he was excited and worry free. For once everything felt right in life. Well, if he'd mustered up the courage to ask Hilary out it would be, but he had to do with what he had… for now.

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**I'm finally back. Check my profile for additional information and full summaries of all stories that I've uploaded. Note: some of my stories have been removed. I'm keeping it short and simple, and if I finish my remaining series off, I'll most likely leave indefinitely.**

**Hope you enjoyed the read.**


	4. Histories and Mysteries

**Disclaimer: All copyrights of Beyblade with its characters and setting belong to Takao Aoki. No copyright infringement intended.**

**I am on a roll here...**

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**Chapter Three**

"Are you guys working in here or goofing around?" asked Hiro.

Tyson and Kai were all wet from flinging mop water at each other. How or why they were doing it, they couldn't even figure out, and Hiro wouldn't want to know why.

"To perfectly justify my case I was robbed of a normal childhood," said Kai matter-of-factly. "Tyson on the other hand, I think he still hasn't grown out of the phase yet."

"Oh really? You make wise cracks now?" Tyson flung his mop at Kai again, which ended up sending droplets of water at Hiro.

"Guys, really." Hiro gave them one stern look but was heard laughing as he went back into the house.

Two days after meeting again, Tyson and Kai had set to work in restoring the dojo to its former glory. It was riddled with dust, but it wasn't enough to stop the dojo from opening.

Tyson was happy to let Kai deal with the numbers. All Tyson needed to do was check their inventory and tell Kai what they needed. With most of the equipment too old and worn out, Kai figured that they needed a brand new set. Their only problem was cost and how much they were going to need. They debated on keeping the equipment that was the best condition out of the pile and hoped that the members willing to join wouldn't mind buying their own equipment. Kai mentioned something about hooking up with a store and making sure that they get a good insurance to replace any future damaged equipment.

"That way the students don't need to pay even more money just to replace or repair their broken equipment," explained Kai.

"What about the uniforms?" Tyson asked. Kai grimaced as he reviewed their numbers again.

"We'll have to order those in after getting their sizes," said Kai. He ran his fingers down the list and cursed rather loudly after getting halfway through.

"What is it?" It was unexpected to hear a rather graphic word come out of Kai's mouth.

"From what your budget is to the expenses we need to make I made an error in the calculations." Kai scratched his head, ruffling his very long bangs. Tyson noted that Kai's hair was in a small ponytail since they started their rejuvenation of the dojo. It looked like a good style for Kai, but his bangs were still too long. He could barely see Kai's eyes.

"I wish I could help," said Tyson glumly. Kai frowned but his face brightened, as if an idea came to him.

"Actually, you can," he said. He grabbed a blank sheet of paper and scribbled down a name and address. Folding it, he gave it to Tyson saying, "This is the address of this number-crunching whizz I hired previously. He's the son of one of our shareholders and when the supervisors thought I wasn't taking things seriously I hired him to straighten out a confusion over our accounts a couple years back."

"What was the problem?"

"You probably heard about that case with the embezzler. Unfortunately for that guy I was in the same city as him at the time." Kai returned his focus to the list and began sorting all his notes in neat piles. Tyson's mind whirred. Kai's been living a reckless lifestyle and he was eager to learn more about it.

Tyson looked at the paper with the address. _Hiromasa Yamakawa_, it read. The address was nearby Tyson's old high school so he had no problem finding out where it is.

"I'll be back in a bit," said Tyson.

"Is his place nearby?"

Tyson wheeled around to gawk at Kai, jaw hanging.

"You've never _checked_?"

"I was halfway around the world when I met him! Give me a break!" Kai threw up his arms and resumed drying the floor in Tyson's place.

Laughing, Tyson put his shoes on and left. It was snowing lightly with a cool breeze that made Tyson shiver. He contemplated on taking the transit to Hiromasa's house, but there wasn't enough change for a return trip in his pocket.

Only about five minutes out of his area did Tyson realize that he entered a very rugged part of town. There were gangs of young teenagers battling it out right in the middle of the street, with small children being hurried by their worried parents to escape the battles. Beyblades were being launched everyway Tyson turned, a couple coming at him at short notice. Had he not moved in time he was sure he would have received two egg-sized lumps on his face from the impact. Taking refuge at a bus stop where a group of bystanders stood in fear in a huddled group, Tyson answered his ringing phone, pondering what on earth could have caused this unrest.

"Hello?"

"Tyson?" said Kai frantically on the other end. "I'm so sorry, I didn't know that that area was going through some violence."

"How'd you know?" Tyson raised his voice to overcome the shouts from the gangs. A woman screamed, alerting him that some delinquents thought that fighting with beyblades became insufficient for combat. Many now held nailed bats and dented pipes in their hands. Tyson hoped that the red tint was rust and not dried blood.

"Hiro turned on the TV just after you left," explained Kai. "I just finished with the dojo and thought about catching up to you, but I couldn't find you anywhere on the street. Then the news started reporting fights occurring at a street nearby Yamakawa's house happening right _now_."

Despite the worry that Tyson could hear in Kai's voice he was unexpectedly calm, compared to how Kenny or Hilary would freak out. He recalled Kai mentioning witnessing genocides during his travels… What has he _seen_ in the last five years?

"Well, I'm at a bus stop with a few bystanders right now," said Tyson. He looked at them, huddled together and trying to find a way to escape the madness. A small kid was amongst the group, crying. A teenage girl and her friend were on their cell phones, holding them up as though they were recording the whole thing.

"Hey, are you two sending a live feed?" asked Tyson. The girls jumped at being addressed by him, but one of them nodded. To Kai he said, "I have an idea. Are you watching the TV right now?"

"Yeah. You got captured in a shot. Unintentionally, I think," said Kai.

"You've got an idea on how I can worm my way around this?" asked Tyson. There was a long pause. Tyson flinched at more screams because the delinquents armed with weapons began to attack each other. From one end of the street he saw another group of delinquents coming up. The one leading them looked familiar.

"Hey! It's Nagi!" said Tyson and Kai at the same time. Tyson looked at the teenage girls behind him. A man asked if the two girls had called the police yet, which Kai heard. According to Kai there was a blockade leading to the street that was caused by even more fighting and an accident with a bystander.

The other delinquents seemed to recognize the Blade Sharks and several of them scattered. However, those armed with both beyblades and weapons saw an opponent within the Sharks. Things were about to get worse before they got better.

Nagi knew what was coming. He told two of his Sharks flanked on his right to take the advance. Neither pulled out a launcher, instead pulling on gloves. The gloves had a thick layer of metal stuck to where the knuckles would be, with rounded points for each knuckle. With their bulk Tyson could only guess that they were a defence meant to counter the armed delinquents. As soon as they moved into motion smaller built and more agile looking fighters jumped out of the now protective-looking formation of the Blade Sharks. They quickly took down any weapon-armed fighter the defensemen were too preoccupied to take care of.

Nagi directed his team like a troop at war. His best launchers were in the heart of the battle while the others worked at dispelling the quarrels spread out over the rest of the street. Nagi showed himself to be a very impressive blader, weaving his bey in and out of tight spots and knowing how to quickly unbalance and take-out his opponents. As soon as the Blade Sharks came the fighting ended just as fast. Tyson felt his throat crack as he tried to call himself out of his stupor.

"Kai, did you call him?" he asked once he found his voice. The bystanders behind him were just as silent.

"No, I've been on the phone with you the whole time, haven't I? The news anchor said that the fight started only minutes before I called and I was too worried about you to call anyone else."

"Well it's a good thing he came because—_wait, _you were _worried_ about me?"

"Don't sound so stunned," retorted Kai with the same irritated tone Tyson remembered him having, "I've seen too many friends get attacked from just the religion they have to the colour of their skin. It's a cruel world out there Tyson, we have the benefits of luxury."

"Alright! But who called him? I'll call you back as soon as I get to Hiromasa Yamakawa's house. I have a feeling the cops would want statements from all of us, but I feel like they can come find me afterwards."

"Hope you have a good explanation for leaving the seen."

"Hey, I'm the former champion of Beyblade! People are going to want a piece of me no matter what I do or say."

"Methinks you have stories you have yet to tell me."

"Right," laughed Tyson. "How about a fair trade? You tell me your stories and I'll tell you mine."

"Deal. Now get our young accounting friend and get back here before you get caught in another fight."

As soon as Tyson hung up he noticed the young boy from earlier staring at him intently. He sniffed a few times and his face was lined with dried tear tracks. He was frowning and Tyson was curious.

"What's wrong little guy?" asked Tyson. "You okay? Look—the fighting's all over."

"I'm _not_ little! I'm ten!" cried the boy.

"I'm sorry," said the boy's mother. "He's knows you from TV. You're Tyson, the former Beyblade World Champion." At the mention of his name and old title people turned to him, shocked that he was standing with them the whole time. At the same time delinquents with a speck of consciousness all snapped their attention to him. The most able were ready to pick up their fallen beyblades, ready to challenge him.

"Why didn't you take Dragoon out and finish them off?" asked the boy.

"Sorry, kid, it's been five years since I've spun a blade. I would have caused more trouble than fix anything." He smiled sadly, even willing to add that he wished that he could have brought Dragoon with him.

"Hey! You better not even _think_ about challenging him!" yelled Nagi. He walked up to Tyson, returning the fear of the bystanders who've forgotten what had happened only moments ago. "And just drop it, kid," Nagi turned to the boy. "Tyson's no blader—not anymore. He doesn't even have Dragoon with him." He turned behind him and raised the volume of his voice once more, "And that means he can't even accept any of your challenges since you're all hot-blooded enough to take him on without wasting another damn second!" At that the kid scowled at Tyson and when he caught the little boy's eyes he saw anger in them. Anger and a mix of sadness. Tyson didn't know what to make of the situation and couldn't spend another moment thinking about it. As the bystanders dispersed, Nagi demanded his attention, asking what exactly Tyson was doing on Shark turf. This area was Shark turf? But it was so close to Koma High!

Tyson explained that Kai had sent him to look for a kid whose father was a shareholder in the company. He didn't want to go into detail, but vaguely explained their situation over starting the dojo. Nagi demanded a name and, hesitantly, Tyson gave it.

"Yamakawa? Oh, I know him. In fact, I'm just about to meet him. Hey guys!" Two of his lackeys approached him and he instructed them to keep an eye on the delinquents who were still awake. He turned to Tyson and signalled him to follow, moving swiftly and stiffly, as if ready for a delinquent to pounce.

Nagi knew his way around the neighbourhood, mostly because it was Blade Sharks turf, but also because he knew who Hiromasa Yamakawa was. Tyson was aching to ask questions, mostly about how and why the Sharks quelled the fight. Daichi seemed to make a huge point on _saving_ Koma High from the Blade Sharks. Could it be that they were the Sharks in charge before Nami got hold of the gang? Yet Daichi recognized them and they recognized him as the 'hero of Koma' over being associated with Tyson…

He would have crashed into Nagi if Nagi hadn't said that they were there. The Yamakawa house was surprisingly small. Tyson expected that a shareholder would have a moderately sized house, but it turned out that Hiromasa Yamakawa lived in an apartment complex.

"Er… nice place?" he said. Nagi laughed.

"Not the person to say it to." He led Tyson up the stairs and walked down the row of doors before reaching the one at the very end and knocking.

"Masa," greeted Nagi. The door was only slightly open with a person's nose and mouth visible from the crack. Tyson could only hazard a guess that it was Hiromasa and not a sibling. "Kinomiya's here to talk to you. Something about that guy called Kai Hiwatari." Hiromasa Yamakawa closed the door and the sound of chains being pulled back was unusual to Tyson. What could warrant the boy from taking such measures in abnormally high security?

"And the fight?" asked Hiromasa, finally opening the door to let them both in. His voice was soft and quiet.

Hiromasa lived alone. It was an apartment with a multipurpose room; a single room used as a bedroom, living room, and dining area. Tyson could tell that Hiromasa lived alone because the floor was filled with clutter and the kitchen sink was filled with empty ramen cups and dirty dishes. Not a soul asked Hiromasa who was at the door.

"Didn't they say so on the news?" asked Nagi. "It's been dealt with, my guys are making sure that the delinquents remain in place until the cops arrived."

"Right. You can go," said Hiromasa.

"But wait—!"

"_Leave_, Nagi. There's a time and place for everything. Now _go_," urged Hiromasa. His gaze was fierce and it was enough to move a delinquent like Nagi. Nagi raised his hands and shook his head, firmly shutting the door behind him.

If it were Tyson five years ago he would have tried to fill the awkward silence with inappropriate remarks, like commenting on Hiromasa's very scientific looking contraption, which sat on his desk. The screen of his laptop was riddled in code and diagrams Tyson couldn't make heads or tails of. Scanning the room even further Tyson noted that there were no photos of the Yamakawa family or Hiromasa's friends.

"Hiwatari sent you here?"

"Yeah." Tyson was startled by how direct Hiromasa was. He looked like a first year middle school student with a height above the average for his age pool. His eyes were reproachful, the black threatening to suck any person staring into them into a black hole. His glasses were rectangular and scarily caught the sheen of the light, obscuring his eyes from view. His dark brown hair looked oily with locks lying limp by the sides of his face.

"Are you going to tell me why?" His directness was fairly offensive. Tyson didn't like the commanding tone in Hiromasa's voice. He could go two ways in this conversation: aware and considerate—speak only when spoken to and answer questions being asked. The second option was to snap back and demand some respect. Tyson was twenty—this kid was barely thirteen! So he decided to go for option tw—

His cell phone rang, forcing Tyson to hold his tongue as he glared at Hiromasa to answer it. Hiromasa was smirking, as if anticipating Tyson's outrage.

"What?" Tyson answered viciously.

"I knew it," came Kai's voice. "Were you about to yell at him?"

"_Yes_, Kai. I was. You have _excellent_ timing," said Tyson sardonically. "Jeez, it's a wonder you liked him, he reminds me of you."

"He doesn't take bull from anyone. Tell him what he wants to know, not what he _needs_ to hear. You'll be out of there faster and with likeable results." Kai sounded like he was about to hang up when he added, "and just because he's a jerk that doesn't mean I like him." It was enough of a comment to make Tyson laugh and change his mind about his approach. The smirk playing on Hiromasa's lips; he was anticipating Tyson's immature response and Kai's intervening.

"Kai needs your help with some numbers," Tyson finally answered.

"Business or personal affair."

"Personal. He's helping me—"

"I don't need the details," said Hiromasa sharply as he raised a hand to halt Tyson's words. "Just give me your name and address."

Before long Tyson was out of there and rapidly marching through the streets. He found himself taking a detour and walking by the old river where the beystadium still stood. Kids were playing with it and Tyson caught a young teenager lying on the grass next to a girl. He guessed they were on a date and distanced himself from them before he sat down to look at the setting sun. The sunset was always something to watch from that spot. He was sure Hilary admired it too, and wondered what other things she would like.

"Mind if I join you?" asked Kai, coming out of the blue. How did he know Tyson was here? But then that just mean that Tyson was predictable.

"Got bored?" Tyson said, paying him no mind as Kai sat next to him.

"I was hoping for a spin." Kai held out Tyson's Dragoon and launcher, the ripcord wound into place. Tyson laughed; how useful it would have been to have had it when the gangs started fighting.

"You got Dranzer with you?" Tyson asked. Kai laughed.

"What's the point of taking a spin when I don't have Dranzer to relive the good old days?"

They continued to watch the sunset in silence, the number of playful children dwindling with each passing minute. Soon it was just Tyson and Kai with an empty beystadium. The boy and the girl, who was now sitting up with her knees under her chin, were still where they were. The boy hadn't moved from his eagle-spread posture since Tyson had got there.

"Look at it, so empty," said Kai. Tyson caught him eying the beystadium hungrily, his hand gripping Dranzer tightly. The metal clinked from his grip and Tyson soon found himself gripping Dragoon just as tightly.

"Yeah. You kind of almost feel sorry for it," added Tyson.

"I wonder how it's been since we stopped Beyblade."

"Me too. I wonder if it saw that new champion use it as a practice stadium and a place to grow as a strong blader."

"Much like with you?" Kai asked, looking at Tyson with raised eyebrows. Tyson smiled.

"Much like with me."

Kai looked around and rubbed his free hand on his pant leg. He mumbled how there was barely anyone around, just the boy and the girl to their right. The street was practically empty. Tyson figured why not, they should at least do something eventful with their day. Kai made a point in saying that the day was eventful, just not in the way they expected.

"That Hiromasa kid's a jerk," blurted Tyson. "He makes the old you look like a teddy bear."

Kai laughed again as he heaved himself up off the ground. He started walking towards the stadium, placing Dranzer into place on the launcher. He stopped and looked at Tyson over his shoulder.

"You know you want to," he baited in an almost singsong voice. Tyson grinned. There was no way he could have refused if Kai was around!

They made for the stadium at a run, beyblades in their launchers. With a leap they grabbed the ripcords and pulled, crying in unison the eponymous, "Let it _rip!_" Their beyblades clashed and their spirits were running high.

"Dragoon!" Tyson urged.

"Go, Dranzer!" mimicked Kai. Their gazes locked, eyes both filled with fire.

"I _knew _it!" they heard Hilary cry from the top of the hill. They ignored her and commanded Dragoon and Dranzer to clash onward.

"Ah, the rematch of a lifetime!" said Ray satisfactorily, following behind Hilary as she rand down the steps. Tyson was surprised to hear him—he'd thought Ray had gone back to China.

"Heh, you two have an audience over there," said Max. Max? Was he in Japan for the winter break then? Tyson heard Daichi laugh and caught him jumping down from the top of the hill.

"Are you kidding me? If this whole place was full of people these two would have battled anyway!" he cried arrogantly, including a confident sniff.

"They probably bullied a couple of kids to get out of their way," teased Kenny, who found himself a spot on the steps. Tyson saw that he even brought his laptop with the rotating camera. Old habits really do die hard.

"No way—we were ready to go home if it hadn't gotten dark—damn it, Dranzer, _move_!" cried Kai, wincing as Dranzer was nearly forced out of the ring. Tyson gave a confident 'hah!' before making his own remark.

"And if those kids hadn't gone home either! _Whoa!_ I don't think so, Kai! Get 'im, Dragoon!" He growled and punched the air before him as he urged Dragoon to go on the offensive.

They all whooped and cheered; the others unable to keep down their delight and pick a favourite. Daichi had Strata Dragoon with him, but he felt it unfair if Ray and Max couldn't join in. They didn't mind and Tyson was glad that they were okay with watching him and Kai battle it out.

Tyson felt the urge to call on Dragoon's spirit when he remembered Dranzer was no longer with Kai, that the bit beast had been set free. Kai saw his hesitation and had Dranzer give Dragoon a very forceful nudge.

"I'm fine with it," he said with a solemn smile. "I'll try and turn the odds in my favour with my own power, and with the strength Dranzer left behind."

"So be it—Go! _Dra-goon!_" The bit chip glowed and they heard the roar of the great dragon and the rumble of thunder in a cloudless sky. There was a bright light illuminating the night sky. This battle was no longer covert; anyone passing by would be immediately intrigued. Tyson didn't care if he was seen. He felt horrible for how the little boy stared at him with so much hate. Tyson couldn't be beyblading champion forever, but that didn't mean he had to quit the game altogether. It was in his blood, it was a part of his being, and Tyson believed that Kai, Ray, Max, Daich, Kenny, and even Hilary felt the same way. Beyblade was a big part of their life, and like old habits, they couldn't really throw them away.

Kai and Tyson roared to their heart's content, willing their beyblades to clash with all their might…

But there was no victor. There was no knowing if Kai could have been able to overcome Dragoon's power and won. The girl sitting next to the boy screamed as the boy, who was intent on seeing the battle through, suddenly collapsed and lay breathless on the grass. At that moment a black van veered off of the street and tumbled over the head of the girl and straight into the river with a deafening crash. Tyson and Kai were forced to recall their beyblades to investigate what had transpired before them. Hilary and Kenny were already upon the unconscious boy, trying to revive him. Tyson and the others were more intent on seeing if the people inside the van were all right and were inches away from the water when the back doors were blown off of their hinges. One nearly hit Hilary and Kenny as the door bounced off of the hill before falling over the dish. The other door was sent into the street above, luckily landing in an empty street. Tyson couldn't see if Hilary was okay because the next moment a bloodcurdling roar came from inside the van. Two bodies in black suits were flung out and figure jumped out before Tyson.

It was a man with his hands bound by something similar to a straightjacket. The bounds were clearly breaking as the man urged his strength to overcome his restraints. Tyson could see that the man's strength was inhuman as he withstood a tackle from another two black suited men from inside the van. The man shook them off and tumbled toward Kai, who tripped on his retreating steps and fell on his backside. The man tried to say something, but the sound of his heavy breathing showed that he was reaching his limits.

"_K-Ko…_" the man tried to say in something that vaguely resembled Japanese.

"What?" Kai stammered, too shocked to understand what was happening. The man broke a hand out and tried to reach for Kai, but the two men the man shook off were upon him and started to pull him away. The man had enough energy to resist, but it wasn't enough to break free of their hold.

"Don't mind him," said a suited man who came out of the driver's seat. To see him walk out of it without a scratch was unnerving. A woman walked down the steps and past them with a large gun in hand. "This is just a very disobedient monster. We'll be on our way."

"Not… a monster," growled the mysterious man defiantly. He jerked violently when he saw the woman approach with the gun. His hair was a mess, wet from the sweat he expelled in his attempted escape. The moonlight captured the sheen of his hair, how eerily it resembled the night sky. Tyson could see one of his eyes and he wondered if it was just him—the eye gave off a weak yet eerie glow and it seemed to train on one person: Kai.

"What?" Kai stammered again

"I'm… Daemeon. Daemeon Fenryr—augh!" The woman got close enough to shoot the gun into his neck, knocking him out. The man called Daemeon was quickly hauled away to a van that waited on the street above. Tyson felt the urge to follow, to discover what exactly was going on, but Ray grabbed his wrist and gave him a stare.

"We can't," he said softly.

"But…" started Tyson.

"Tyson," Max looked sad and frightened, and sympathetic as his eyes urged Tyson to stand down.

"But guys!"

"Tyson, we _can't_," spat Kai coldly. "It's none of our business and out of our hands. What's more important," he faced Tyson with a capturing gaze, "is that we get that kid to a hospital right away. We'll talk about this later, I promise." Tyson was amazed at how strong Kai was being, especially when Daemeon had targeted him out of all of them. Was it someone from Kai's travels whose identity Kai couldn't reveal or couldn't remember? Tyson shook his head. He had to ignore those ponderings for now. What was important was the boy, who he last checked wasn't even breathing.

"What's you're name?" he softly asked the young girl. She was crying in fright at what she just saw.

"Hi-Himika," she hiccupped. "This is my brother, Takeru. P-please, save him!"

"Don't worry," Kai said, lending a hand for her to take. His voice was soft and gentle and easily coaxed the girl to take his hand. "We'll help you. We'll save him." She seemed to doubt his words when she looked up at him, but that same captivating gaze he gave Tyson wiped all doubts from her mind. "We'll _save_ him. I promise."

* * *

**Rarely have a read I fanfic where the actual event of beyblading was involved. This was refreshing, like revisiting my childhood. Wow, I feel old already-has it really been five years?**

**Hope you enjoyed this as much as I did.**


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